With their wrinkled surfaces, black tea leaves, shown above at 300 times magnification, provide ample space for the adsorption of lead. (Credit: Vinayak P. David Group/Northwestern University) Want a ...

Brewing tea could help to remove toxic ... While there is no safe level for lead in public drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency sets the actionable limit at 15 parts per billion.

A study by Northwestern University reveals that tea can filter out heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and chromium from water. Brewing black tea for five minutes can reduce lead ions by about 15%.